I never, never, ever seen such perfect video illustration like this before. You are the KING of RU-vid!, Your the Man!, Outstanding Video. Wonderful video on installing wiring from start to finsh. God bless you.😇, and Thank you.
@EXPLORIST life - DIY Campers I tried to join you paid advice group. no luck. I still need help wiring a converter to my one house battery in my sprinter. can you help a greatful fan?
This video gets an Oscar! I used your system from 2 years ago to build my electrical system and at that time was far and away better than any other resource. You have really stepped up your game here and it makes me want to build a new van! You are very generous with your knowledge.
This guy is next level genius. I love when a perfectionist works. His brain thinks so far ahead. You are the gold standard for this industry. Thank you for sharing your skills.
Genius. He makes an incredibly thorough and comprehensive guide while using pre-made kits from his own company in an hour long tutorial/ advertising bonanza. This man is winning on both fronts. 👏
Education based sales. 🤣😂 It's nice to be able to have a thumb on quality control now. Seems most people would rather give me their business than have me and Mr. Bezos split it when I'm doing all of the work to teach everybody this stuff. 😁🤣
So good!! I started this series feeling completely out of my depth. Twenty-one, or so, videos later and I feel absolutely confident in being able to size, spec out, and build a functional and SAFE system. I can't thank you enough.
Loved seeing Steph in this video. I’ve missed her 😊 Nate, your content is getting stronger as you go along. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and sharing so openly. I’ve referred to your past how-to videos when I was building out my van, I could not have been as successful without you.
I love the extreme detail and explanations of the ENTIRE system. Nothing was skipped, glossed over or expected to be known by the viewer before hand. Thank you for making this video and excellent wiring job as well, it looks great!
You’re a really good teacher, I just wired my multiplus into my truck camper and your videos have empowered me to take on these projects on my own. It’s a really good feeling and I can’t thank you enough
Been following you two for years and share your channel with others as I think you guys are simply the best at explaining everything solar - and the parts list / kits are terrific!
Excellent tutorial and a stark reminder why I work hard and am good at what I do and get experts to do what they’re good at. I’d be bumbling along for months doing this and not confident of the outcome. I can definitely have input into my build from watching.
This video is amazing. So through and well shot. I had to watch it over multiple settings. I have already installed multiple power systems and still learned a lot watching this video. Will use this kit next time.
Hi Nate, this was the best camper power management video I've ever seen, you have a wealth of knowledge my friend and not afraid to share it with everyone. Great tips and tricks for wiring that no manual will tell you. Hands down will be sharing this around keep up the good work and happy camping. Cheers Kyle
Absolutely perfect as always! Very clear and lots of important details that people do overlook. Wish you were my neighbor I would assist with no compensation lol. I should make more videos of some of my projects but do not as time typically doesn't allow. So lots of credit to all of the time you have put into this with sourcing and documentation of the build along with video / editing.
Great job Nate. You’ve created the gold standard of van build electrical videos! I applied to have you use my van for the video so I’m glad you turned this around so quickly. Now I have my instructions! I very much appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge.
That has got to be one of the most well executed tutorial videos that I have ever watched on RU-vid. The step by step detail, the progression of events, the clear narration was excellent. I never wired up 120v power in my race car trailer, because I didn't feel confident in my ability to select the correct products and didn't know where to turn for help. You solved that all for me. Now I feel comfortable powering up the trailer, tiny house and other projects. Thank you.
That was dope! I’m in the planning phases of doing a conversion (thinking a step truck for my needs) and that was a very well put together and talked through process. I feel like I learned so much but I’ll probably need to watch about 30 more times before I feel comfortable tackling what you just did. That was like nerd art and I loved it! Bravo!
Not wrong though, Im wanting to throw some power into my 97 G20 (Express). I like dont know where to start power wise. I just want a tv/monitor, xbox, and router hotspot to run with the possibility of a hotplate. I can't figure if ill kill batteries or not I probably have room for 3 panels on top maybe 4.
We just ordered all the parts we need for our electrical setup! Thank you for putting this together, it really helped us continue to understand the ins-and-outs of a full electrical system!
Excellent tutorial Nate. Combined with your other beginner videos I think I’m ready to do my electrical system myself ( with you kits). Also nice to see Steph who we haven’t seen since the ski videos.
I’ve watched many of your videos over the past week. I’m retired now and have an extensive technician and electrical engineering background in aviation, your stuff is top notch. Made me a fan and if I needed something done you’d be the guy.
Excellent Excellent video. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this video. I am busy redesigning the electrical system for a yacht and your video has really clarified a lot of questions for me on how the different components fit together. I am looking forward to watch more of your videos.
Great video! A really helpful tutorial for any DIY’er or someone looking to check the work on a vehicle prior to purchase. I used your wiring diagrams and previous tutorial videos to build my system because you came highly recommended. Note: if you need specific info on how to crimp or another task-separate videos are available at Explorist. One major thing missing we discussed: it would be nice it would be if ALL the power system components were available from a single source. Especially with the surge in RVing, supply shortages and the resulting here today-gone tomorrow and price gouging sellers. I appreciate how long you’ve been doing this, and if you have everything a DIY’er needs at the same cost of going to Amazon, AND I know it all works together, it’s a no brainer. Can’t wait to check out your upcoming build in 2022!
As an engineer myself, this is one of the best technical yet practical DIY videos that thoroughly explains the electrical system for a camper van!! Definitely a FOLLOW, LIKE, must-see for anyone building their own. Keep up the excellent content!! 👍
Love the fast speak/time lapse delivery of this tutorial! Great way to get what would probably be a 3+ hour video into a 1 1/4 hr. video. Perfect for us impatient types.
This video deserves to be in the Hall of Fame!!! and you deserve to win best instructional Video for Van systems! I have literally watched hundreds of tutorials on Vans over the years and their systems and none of them hold a candle to this one. For you to share all of this knowledge and understanding with the rest of us is utterly priceless! and we are all extremely thankful! You Da Man! & your wife is Da Woman! for helping you with all of this! Thanks again Nate, much appreciated!
Thank you so much Nate. Your videos have singlehandedly given me the confidence to tackle my own electrical system, just when I was on the brink of crumbling under the stress of it. I do have a technical question about this arrangement and the lynx distributor. I purchased your diagram for this build and I'm trying to see if I could wire a second 12v fuse block into it safely or if the space available in the Lynx will not allow for that. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks again!
Last year in Dec when I turned 20 I bought a 2006 FedEx step van for a steal of a price, only $4500. And when I turn 22 this year, I plan on converting it. I was a little worried about the wiring and electrical part but your videos really simpled things out. Thank for the great content
My wife asked me what I was watching, I'm not an engineer but just from your video I was able to convey to her the entire concept of how off grid vanlife is possible. Simply said best video...... Info and parts.....
I just followed this video step-by-step through each segment and completed my install. Everything works. I never could’ve done this without Nate‘s video. Totally off the charts!!
Outstanding! As a none electrical person wanting to build a camper, the video you have made has given me a clear understanding of what I need, installation and how these systems all work. The knowledge is invaluable. Many Thanks 🙏
Thomas - I agree with Greg - video deserves Oscar ! Totally well done. I am a layperson trying to learn and to loose fear. Feel much better about chances to build my own system with Exploits advising ! Thanks - awesome job !
Your videos are by far the most comprehensive, complete and all around fun videos on RU-vid. You make it incredibly easy to follow and learn from. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Such an incredible video! I just did my ABYC Electrical Certificate last month and to watch your video and hear you compare it to the standards not only helped me figure out my van build but also gave me great visual and experiential examples of how to use the codes and when they come into play best! Thanks for the well explained lessons!
The best ever how to wire and set up your van hands down. This is a high quality detailed step by step that makes it pretty simple for just about anyone to be able to install their own system
Well Nate and Steph, I hung in for the FULL tutorial. :) Wow, you guys did a great job. I can't imagine how much work that was for you to produce this. Thank you.
Incredibly in depth. Your videos are appreciated by all of us DIY'ers who haven't yet worked on these types of projects and also for us who feel insecure about our knowledge on these specific projects. Thank you for the lengthy yet informative video!
Not only do you use excellent material and you explain it in a fantastic way, you are the first person I see mounting the electric system in an RV and don't make a mess out of it. Can you also show this video to the guys at the RV company just north of Chicago where they build the rental RV's? Why? Because they make such a mess out of it. The first time I rented an RV the AC blew a breaker and when I opened one of the dinner table sofas in which the electric system is housing I got tears in my eyes. It was such a mess. You, on the other hand, make it all neat with great cable management plus you use the correct material. Great video. Thank you very much.
I'm so proud of the electrical system in my conversion and it's thanks to Nate. His guidance and experience demystified everything and made an otherwise impossible task a breeze.
Wow. This video contains one million times more useful information than any other off grid / van build electrical video ever made. Thank you for the attention to detail and safety. 👏👏👏
The more I watch RV build DIY videos, the less I want to buy a factory-made RV. I can guarantee that the wiring of those RVs never looks like this. Hence, problems occur all the time for new RVs. Great video! 👍👍👍!!!
i had a few minutes and stumbled upon your video. ended up watching the whole thing without pausing start to finish. so informative, well produced and entertaining! thank you!
Don't worry about a specific edge banding trimmer, I've been a foreman of a mill room at a cabinet factory for 7+ years now and we just use a sharp utility knife and some sand paper on all our custom shelving. As our standard shelving gets run through an automatic edge bander that trims during the process. The trimmers are nice when new and fresh but after a couple uses you'll find it's easier to just use a utility knife.
I love you guys. Wait a minute...Yup, it's love. I just finished a 90-hr electrical 101 course at a trade school and I'd say this video was equally as helpful.
Great job… unbelievable really. I’m about to take on the electrical phase of our van build, and thanks to you I believe I can do it. I will watch this video about a million times more, but after that I think I can do it. Thanks!
This is the highest quality, well presented and structured video I have ever seen. Also as a mechanical electrician in Australia. The best standard of electrical work and practices I've seen on RU-vid. Well done dude...You're a high functioning human.
Thank you so much for making this video! I am about to install solar to my parents converted bus and then to my own converted horsebox and was struggling to get my head around it. This video is absolutely fantastic! Can't wait to watch more of your content! Thanks again!
I'm watching for the 4th or 5th time now, as I go though my plans and part lists I refer to each part of this video to make sure I'm not forgetting anything! Thank you Nate!!
I make my living building high end cabinets, and I have to say that if I were building this battery cabinet, I would have done it the same way. All that is to say that your woodworking skills are coming along nicely. Good job!
Hi Nate. I've watched most of your video tutorials and read most of your blog spots. Wonderful, state of the art, best practices stuff! I used to set up off-shore cruising sailboats with electrical systems 25 years ago, and it's truly unbelievable how much has changed and how much information is out there now! It's also interesting how much I have forgotten about the basics. . . I'm retrofitting a Tab teardrop trailer that we have used for years with a new system, given that many of the components from 2004 no longer function. We have very simple needs while traveling, and have propane cooking, heating and refrigeration. The only thing other than a few LED lights and charging phones and an iPad, is charging our new e-mountain bikes off grid. If my math is correct, running both chargers (and wall current chargers are apparently the only way to get the proper charging pferamaters for the 48-volt Lithium batteries that the bikes use), running both chargers at 2.2a each for a 4 hour recharge is 4.4a x 4hr = 17.6 Ah + 4Ah for inverter operation = 21.6 Ah. Not a particularly big load, and I am space challenged for the components inside the Tab. A 2,000w inverter seems like major overkill, and finding the space to put it is pretty much out of the question. I'm thinking more on the lines of a separate Victron battery charger (perhaps 60a for my 200Ah Battle Born bank as I will be using mostly solar charging) and separate Victron inverter of around 800w. There doesn't seem to be any combined units available much below 2,000w. Victron has MultiPlus 500VA, 800VA, and 1200VA (I assume that the number followed by "VA" refers to the watt rating), but not in the US. They all seem to come from Europe and I assume with an output of 240v rather than 120v. My main question is: Can these smaller, separate Victron units be set up with the correct pferamaters for the LiFe batteries? I'm finding that these smaller chargers seem to be set up with flooded cell chemistry in mind with voltages a bit too high in their four stages for LiFe cells, and it seems difficult to actually answer this question from published literature, most of which seems incomplete. Some are selectable for flooded, AGM, or Gel, but I also don't know if this is close enough to optimized for LiFe. Re: Inverters: Victron's own data sheets for the smaller inverters do not specify a pure sine-wave power like you stress. Am I to assume that they are not? (I don't have any particular desire to have internet connectivity on any of these units, as this is a pretty simple system and I don't have any desire to make it any more complicated that it needs to be). Thanks for sharing your expertise! You can bet that I will be ordering the supplies that I can direct from you to help support your efforts.
The smaller Phoenix inverters can be connected to a computer/phone for further customization. I believe ALL Victron inverters are pure sine wave inverters.
Question for you and the audience: Using this setup, do you need to disconnect the solar panels when charging with either the alternator or shore power? Or can the solar panels just stay on regardless of how you’re charging? This is the best instructional I’ve seen - not even limited to electrical!
Same question with shore and alternator charging. Can I have both connected at the same time? It’s unlikely, but just in case I accidental start the vehicle while it’s still plugged into a campsite outlet - will that damage anything? Thank you again for such an epic tutorial!!
I've watched a lot of videos on this subject and this video and infact your entire channel and website is the most detailed, high quality I've ever found. Once I've watch more of your episodes I'm sure I'll be equipped with the knowledge I need to build our own van.
That must be the most comprehensive kit and instructional video I have ever watched on RU-vid. Very clear and a great summary at the end. I am watching it in the UK and our systems are 230v, so are unfortunately a little bit different, but the process would be similar. Brilliant video!
I just wish i had the money for this let a lone the time to do it and the building to do it in. i had 2 weekends and no budget and i figured out how to make rain holes in my setup. I got it working but it cant even power a small fridge for an hour.. Overall biggest set back was not learning what will be using the power once stored. I didn't know and had drained my batteries to quickly. Next was the batteries were to small and I have no room to spare I would need to rip out and replace all of it and add more Li bat tires probably 400amphs. Eventually it rained and something is not working... so i need go back and look at it. there is a tarp over the camper now and probably needs a lot of work... I'm so glad a found this channel so now i can lean how to do it right.
This is the best video about anything that I've ever seen. Excellent detail and clear explanations - not to mention beautiful work. Thanks for making this!
So helpful. Easy even for a newbie like me to understand. Im so overwhelmed and scared to mess with my van build electrical and I still have a sense of caution knowing this is electrical stuff, but having some sense of understanding made me felt comfortable more than scared. Im still asking for help from a friend for safety. Thanks for the enlightenment.
Brilliant. I watch very few hour-long videos on RU-vid, but you had me hooked from the get-go. Learned a lot from your video; thanks and hope to start working on our on system in the near future.
Thank you for the detailed videos on this subject. I needed basic educating on solar systems, and your videos gave me the knowledge to install a solar system in my small RV.
Excellent! Clear and concise tutorial ... so much information packed into 73 minutes, it passed like 10 ... Yeah! 10/10 Much appreciated and "Happy trails, bro', enjoy that well earned cold one" Jah Bless
Thanks Nate and Steph(sp?)! I used this video along with your wiring diagrams and install kits. I Successfully built a 600Ah system for my 2008 Ford E-350! Sorry to say I did not cut my finger while checking the adequacy of the drilled holes...lol
Super helpful series, thank you, thank you!! For my Sprinter Van project, I would like to add a 12V AC unit and the necessary amp hours to run this system for a reasonable period of time, without connecting to shore power. Have seen Battleborn GC3 builds (with 3 in battery bank), as am hearing 800 amp hours is the magic number for 12V AC. Looking forward to perhaps a future video from you that includes a 12V AC unit. Adding two more batteries in this video’s battery bank config gets it done, buts it’s always great to see your install videos. Thanks again
I think you forgot the cheat sheet for the Orion battery settings you mentioned would be in the video description. Amazing video btw, this has helped me tremendously.
I dont get impressed easily. At 62 I want to think I've seen it all with being a carpenter, electrician, plumber....all around Jack of all Trades kind of guy. But this build.....blew me away. And you're so young to have gained all this knowledge. You must sleep well at night knowing you do something very productive.
WoW! This is the BEST video i've seen so far on how to build your own electrical system in a camper van. How diferente would It be for those of us living in Europe that have 220V appliances? Thanks for everything you do!
This was a very informative video. Your descriptions were excellent. I would have you build my electrical. The only issue I have is that the enclosure is made of wood which is combustionable material. I would like to make my enclosure out of metal and put a heat detector inside, since its under the bed.
Love your videos, and this one especially. You slowed your delievey pace down, which I think really helps. You know a lot, but sometimes its like a firehose, too much for me to digest that fast. Keep it up!
